Switzerland, Austria or Italy?

[Monvelo]

Please help me narrow down my searching! Family holiday, 2 adults, 2 primary aged kids. To go either May half term or early summer. We are looking for somewhere to experience mountain scenery, lakes and rivers, nature, that is accessible. We'd like to feel slightly adventurous but secretly it's not all that adventurous, i.e. not risky. We want to use trains and buses, not drive. One base or multiple. Any suggestions?

I’ve been to all three of the above destinations, a variety of areas in each and they all have their benefits (and negatives obviously). I personally love Switzerland. There’s so much to do, the scenery is phenomenal and it’s relatively easy to get to. It is very expensive though.

Austria is also beautiful. Similar scenery, lots of mountain activities and easy to get around.

Italy is a little less ‘finished’ in my opinion. More rustic with lots and lots of truly wonderful places to visit but I found with children, it was slightly more difficult to navigate.

Switzerland would always be my first choice if money was no problem. Austria is a close second. Italy I preferred as adults without children.

What?! This the the Holidays board - it’s the place to post questions about, and discuss, holidays…

Have you posted your daft attempt at shaming the OP on every thread about holidays?

Don’t be ridiculous @SmallChild . This is the Holiday board.

We’ve stayed in Saas-Fee a few times with DS. It’s car-free. Beautiful place. No lake though.

But notwithstanding the issue of posting about holidays on the holidays thread:

Austria is very family friendly and the mountains are beautiful; Switzerland ditto and both are easier to plan imo than Italy, as @MoonlightFlit25 says. I can’t think of precise locations of the top of my head but wanted to say you will have a lovely time in any and yes it will feel outdoorsy and rugged whilst secretly being civilised and being able to organise ahead!

We went to Zermatt (Switzerland) last year, and had a great time. We chose it partly because DD loves cable cars, and there are lots of them. However they have a winter and summer season; this summer peak season (with the most cable car routes open) was 28.06. – 17.08.25, though some would have been open in May - so if you want to use cable cars, check the dates carefully.

We got cable car passes, which were great, but very pricey, as was everything else. Zermatt was very clean and efficient, and felt a bit like a (well run) theme park. The scenery was spectacular, though it was often too cloudy to see the peaks. Not sure how high you're planning to go, but worth knowing.

Following - we went to Wengen in Switzerland many years ago and would love to take my DDs back. However, I think they might not like cable cars, so I'm not sure if there is somewhere that has some of the same things, but fewer cable cars.

The tourist tax in Saas-Fee covers cable cars and local buses https://www.saas-fee.ch/en/saastalcard/visitors-tax-rates

We stayed in the Wellness Hostel 4000 which is great for kids.

I’d recommend Interlaken in Switzerland. The Swiss transport system is easy to navigate and we found Interlaken to be an excellent base for lots of places and activities.

Lots of good general infor on here for Austria and sounds like free / cheap public transport from Airport go mountains & lakes. www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays/5250334-austria-summer-walking?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

I agree with Switzerland. We stay in the Lauterbrunnen valley with an 8-day Bernese Oberland rail pass and hop about all over the place. It's equally gorgeous in the summer as it is in the winter!

We had a great half-term holiday to Austria in October 2021 - mid COVID - we stayed in Vienna for 4 days. Our AirBnB was good vaule for money despite several issues. The weather was perfect: crisp, bright, 16C avg., autumn leaves.
In Vienna, we went to the art museum, saw the Lipizzaners and toured their stables, ate all kinds of carbs (waffles, pastries, etc.) had some good curry and amazing pizza from a place local to our flat. We then took a train to Salzburg. We visited the castle, saw some Sound of Music locations, visited 2 places Mozart lived/worked, ate a slap up dinner at a place with a stream flowing through the restaurant.

Italy if you like eating well. Austria is really dull. Switzerland..hmm as long as you avoid the german speaking part. Viva Italia!

Lay off the sherry.

Have you ruled out France for a reason? French Alps have all the things you want, and very easy to navigate/ loads of summer activities for kids. Cheap ish flights to Geneva and you could spend a day or two in Switzerland too.

I second this. I’ve been to interlaken multiple times over the last 25 years and I love it. So child friendly, central point to lots of areas of interest and just very very beautiful.

Thanks for the great recommendations!
I missed the beef before it got deleted, now I'm feeling nosy!

No, not really!

We were looking at Switzerland to Italy first as a travelling type holiday but that felt a bit much to cram in, then someone suggested Austria.

In my head I think you need a car in France?

@Monvelo Interlaken is an excellent hub. Mountain railways, amazing mountains and lovely towns like Wengen within easy reach. We actually stayed at Bonigen and that was a short distance from Interlaken and borders a lake. Expensive though!

Have you looked at Slovenia? Ticks your boxes and will be much better value for money than the others. Also more 'adventurous'

Yes have been to Slovenia pre kids and it is fab fab fab I really loved it. I would like to take the kids there one day just thinking to go somewhere new to me this time.

The Dolomites in Italy have everything you’re asking for. If you stay in a ski-resort type place with gondolas and chairlifts you can get up into the high mountains easily without a car. Decent bus network too.

Slightly left field suggestion: the Black Forest in Germany. Beautiful, lakes, castles, obviously lots of forest. Very safe and accessible, very child friendly.

Even more left field suggestion: Scotland. Maybe Aviemore area? Accessible by train (even sleeper train, which kids love) and more lochs, forests and mountains than you know what to do with. The mountains are a bit smaller of course but they still have plenty of capacity for adventure. Consider staying at Glenmore Lodge which is an outward-bound type centre in a stunningly beautiful setting 20 minutes taxi from Aviemore station, and does B&B at a reasonable price if they have spare rooms.

I’m very familiar with all three and have lived in those areas/had lots of holidays there.

Of the three, Austria is the most relaxed. If you can afford it, the Kinderhotels are out of this world!

Switzerland is beautiful but very expensive.

Italy is beautiful but certainly not as relaxed. However, the Dolomite region (AltoAdige in Italian, Sud Tirol in German as it’s a bilingual area) has everything you’re looking for. It’s very special. I can highly recommend it!

Austria, Switzerland, the Dolomites and also as a pp said southern German (the Black Forest is stunning!) have incredible outside swimming pools in most villages and every town (nothing like in the UK, with slides and lazy rivers and huge areas for toddlers and young children). Lakes and cable cars etc.

Any of those countries would be fine for mountains, lakes, nature etc. but be aware that most of the cable cars and main attractions don't open until around mid-June. Few will be open in May. Different resorts open the summer season at different times, so be sure to check on the tourist office websites before you commit.

Some resorts, for example Saalbach, offer free Summer Tickets to the guests that cover the cable cars, local buses, pools and other attractions. If you fly to Salzburg, the public transport throughout the entire state of Salzburgerland is free of charge for tourists who stay in approved accommodation.

It basically said you shouldn't post asking for ideas about holidays as there is a cost of living crisis.
We went to Austria this summer (how very dare I spend my money on a holiday when there is a cost of living crisis 😙) and loved Salzburg. I'd love to go back to the lake district area near Salzburg. A friend repeatedly did family holidays in Interlaken with their primary aged children. They stayed in the youth hostel because it was lovely and it kept costs down. I think Switzerland is more expensive than Austria.